


Snow in

by mmmcarrotcake



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Muriel Route (The Arcana), Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Snowed In, Soft Muriel (The Arcana)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmcarrotcake/pseuds/mmmcarrotcake
Summary: Muriel's route is put on hold for three days due to a snow storm and this all means that apprentice gets to share a bed and cuddle with him for three nights in a row.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Snow in

It got cold fast, very fast.  
I was just in the middle of trying to convince Muriel to come to the palace and witness for Dr. Devorak, when strong wind hit his hut. Seconds passed and snow started falling as if the skies were angry. Giant heaps of cold fluffy material mixed with ice fell down with tremendous ferocity. Mixing that with ruthless winds blowing in several directions, it felt as if the world was about to end.  
The whole hut shook, just like me. My teeth started chattering immediately and Muriel noticed. He quickly threw a heavy fur coat onto me, almost knocking me down with it.  
I thanked him as I wrapped myself into the thick grey mane, coming quite close to smothering myself. Muriel stared at me trying to wiggle myself into the huge coat, but quickly averted his green eyes when I caught him looking.  
“You should sit by the fireplace, it seems you aren’t leaving for a while”, he said gruffly.  
I wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad about that fact but I decided against questioning it.  
I sat down on a three-legged stool by the crackling fire, while Muriel fumbled around the wooden cabinet.  
My face felt nicely warm as I stared into the dancing flames. They contorted and twirled like bright quick circus performs, throwing sparks and devouring the smoldered wood.  
I diverted my eyes for a second to look at Muriel. Upon the sight of his wide shoulders and bulging lean muscles, they decided to stay a bit longer.  
He was shuffling cans and small pots with his huge hands but not without great care and softness. I immediately thought how great of a father he would be. He’s only a father of chickens though, well, for now.  
He carefully selected one of the cans and opened it’s lead top. It was a small metal thing with little white flowers drawn on it.  
“Do you like elderflower tea?” He asked.  
I answered affirmatively and removed my eyes off him, I don’t need him catching me staring at his well defined back.  
While he put the water for tea to boil, I beckoned Inanna to come to me. She lifted up her heavy furry body and treaded towards me.  
I reached out my hand gently, asking for permission to pet her and she remarkably obliged. My fingers raked through her soft fur and behind her floppy ears. She was clearly enjoying it as she laid down beside me with a loud whomp and a contented sigh.  
“She seems to like you”, Muriel commented while observing our interaction.  
I nodded excitably and continued to pet her majestic head. I couldn’t shake off the amazement at how big and strong she was, just like her owner.  
In a few minutes, our teas were ready. Muriel handed me a red cup with white dots painted on it, clearly intended to resemble the fly agaric. His cup was yellow with little fried eggs and green onions.  
I quickly looked around and noticed that everything was full of small painted designs, usually with patterns such as chickens and mushrooms.  
“Did you decorate all of these?” I asked while pointing first at my cup and then at a whole shelf full of them.  
Muriel nodded slightly, clearly embarrassed.  
“You are so talented, they are wonderful”, I said with a huge stupid grin on my face.  
Muriel shook his head dismissively.  
“I’m serious”, I continued and touched his hand with mine.  
He jerked and almost spilled his tea into the fire. I quickly apologized and stared into my mug with my face down. The tea was amazing, very rich and aromatic. It made me feel at peace despite me making a fool out of myself.  
“Thank you”, Muriel mumbled.  
I lifted my head in surprise. He was staring into his mug just like me a second before, but I could see the slight trace of a blush on his cheeks.  
I smiled and nodded, starting to lift the mug to my mouth.  
“Do you want some lemon or honey”, Muriel interjected worriedly, “I forgot to ask before”.  
He seemed truly sorry, as if he had commited some sort of a crime.  
“Yes, some lemon, please, and don’t worry about it”, I said, “the tea is very good by itself as well”.  
He mumbled a quiet thanks again.  
“Did you make the tea by yourself?”  
I stared at him in great interest as he handed me a perfectly ripe yellow slice of lemon. He nodded with his cheeks reddening again.  
I was amazed, he was such a crafty fellow and very talented at that.  
After squeezing a bit of the lemon slice into my tea, I watched him squeeze two slices into his.  
He caught me staring and nervously cleared his throat.  
“I really like lemon”, he muttered.  
I chuckled and told him that I wholeheartedly agree. After that, we staid together by the fireplace enjoying the warmth.  
After the sun went down completely and we started yawning, that’s where the problem arose. Muriel spread out a few thick furs in front of the fireplace and we both huddled on them at a distance. Since the night fell, it got even colder so my teeth were chattering plenty despite the fire and the furs.  
Muriel seemed to be in a better state than me because Inanna cuddled with him and kept him warm. It didn’t take long for him to take notice of my shivering. He immediately urged Inanna to come to me, which she obliged with a low whine.  
I stopped shaking fairly quickly after Inanna plopped her massive form onto my lap. I hugged her and burrowed my face into her warm fur. I sighed in relief.  
When I lifted my head up, I noticed that Muriel was trying to hide the fact that his teeth were chattering. His huge form was bundled into a massive ball of fur and shaking slightly.  
I quickly tapped Inanna to go to Muriel but he shook his head. I shook my head right back at him. He was cold too, but refused warmth for me.  
I urged Inanna again and he refused again.  
“Look, either you’re taking Inanna or all three of us are cuddling”, I said with a, hopefully, stern face.  
Muriel’s face quickly went red as a pepper.  
“Inanna can lay between us”, I said to lessen the damage a bit.  
He nodded and we both scooted over and placed Inanna between us. This arrangement worked fine for maybe five minutes until Inanna started whimpering and trashing around. She was uncomfortable and not afraid to show it. After effectively getting her fur into my mouth, she stood up and went into a far corner of the hut.  
We tried to beckon her back but she was clearly offended by our actions in some way and wouldn’t even lift an ear to acknowledge our calls.  
I sighed and slumped down, burying myself under the fur coat. I was cold again.  
Muriel shifted beside me, unsure what to do. It was clear what the solution to our little problem was but neither me or him wanted to ask for it.  
He rubbed his nose, which went red with cold and sighed deeply.  
“We can huddle together”, I mustered, “if you’re comfortable with it, of course”.  
Muriel looked at me with something akin to fear, but after a new gust of cold wind slamming at the windows he gingerly put his arms around me and covered us both with the furs.  
I nestled into his warm embrace, enjoying the firmness of his big chest and strong arms. This is the kind of situation I always dreamed about, slightly erotic but also gentle and calming.  
After a few minutes of basking in the warmth, sleep took over me. I would have fallen into the world of dreams seamlessly if it wasn’t for the slight movement of Muriel snuggling me closer to him unconsciously.  
The next morning was as awkward as I suspected it will be. We both woke up at the same time and quickly tried to untangle our limbs as if that will nullify the fact that we were basically stuck to each other’s skin throughout the night.  
For a while we didn’t speak much. We ate breakfast in quiet, stuffing our faces with fluffy bread and honey while Inanna urged to go outside.  
Muriel eventually let her out but the second she went out, she came back in. The snowstorm was starting again. How bad of a luck can I have?  
“It seems you won’t be able to leave today either”, Muriel said defeated by the look of a giant wall of snow blocking the entrance to his hut.  
The worst part about the fact that we were snowed in, was that it had started snowing again, pilling the wall even higher. I sighed.  
“I’m sorry for crashing at your place uninvited”, I said.  
“It’s alright”, he retorted without looking at me.  
We spent the day drinking different kinds of tea, playing with cute chickens and talking in small but delightful amounts. Maybe my luck wasn’t actually so bad, it definitely didn’t seem bad when I would look at Muriel’s handsome face and wide shoulders.  
The night fell again and with it the bone chilling cold returned. The fire had been burning the whole day but now it didn’t seem enough. I was freezing yet again and so was Muriel.  
Inanna was insistent to sleep in her corner again, leaving us alone beside the fireplace.  
“How is she not cold?” I asked befuddled.  
Muriel shook his head in disbelief at her behavior and hesitantly moved closer to me.  
I laid down and patted the fur beside me, he followed me and soon we were wrapped together as a tightly sealed shivering package. His head was on top of mine and I snuggled into his chest, pressing my face to his collarbones. Despite looking so rugged he was actually quite soft and smelled really good. His scent, beside the myrrh, reminded me of lavender. Perhaps he uses a lavender soap.  
Throughout the night we cuddled without shame, his hands were around my waist and on my back. My left leg ended up between his, twining us together.  
It felt very comfortable.  
The second morning was nowhere near as uncomfortable as the last. We did separate quite quickly but there was no rush in our actions. Muriel even chuckled at my attempts at trying to wiggle out of the massive furs which covered us both.  
We went about the day just as we did yesterday. I followed him around and watched and helped him do some chores, played with the chickens again and just generally enjoyed myself in the simplicity of it all.  
Muriel seemingly got used to my presence, he spoke to me more and even smiled multiple times. My heart wouldn’t stop racing every time he did it. At one point he burst out laughing at one of my lame jokes about chickens pooping on everything. I felt as if my heart is trying to escape from my chest.  
Somewhere in the afternoon, we tried to trudge our way through the snow but it ended up being too much even for a mountain man like Muriel.  
“It seems you’re set for one more night here”, he said while blushing slightly but not diverging his eyes from mine.  
“Just one? I hoped for more”, I bravely tried my best at flirting.  
Muriel blushed as red as a fresh lobster and looked at his feet.  
“I have to go feed the chickens”, he mumbled and went into the opposite direction of the chicken coop.  
He already fed the chickens today.  
I tried my best not to let that failure bring me down for the rest of the day. It would have worked if Muriel didn’t turn shy again around me. I hope I haven’t messed things up.  
Before we knew it, it was night again.  
I silently prayed that Muriel won’t back down on cuddling tonight because I tried to flirt with him. Luck seemed to have my back today, because Muriel was ready to put his hands around me the second we finished our teas and laid down.  
For a moment he hesitated, of course, being it Muriel. I immediately beckoned him towards me and put my head on his warm chest. I felt his heart thump hard and fast, and I was sure he could feel mine doing the same.  
It was sometime in the night that I woke up in pitch black darkness due to being cold. I wiggled out of Muriel’s strong embrace to start up the fire that had died down.  
Just as I left his arms, Muriel started grabbing out for me unconsciously. He even called out my name, seemingly missing me in his sleep. My heart felt as if it might explode.  
I promptly lit up the fire, working with it as fast as I could, and snuggled back beside Muriel. He instantly enveloped me with his arms and huddled closer. I smiled with my face nuzzled into his neck. To my surprise he also placed a quick chaste kiss on the top of my head. After that, I could hardly make myself go to sleep. He kissed me wide awake.  
The third morning in the row was comfortable for Muriel but highly uncomfortable for me. The gears in my head kept turning and jamming. Was he awake or did he kiss me while sleeping? Is kissing someone while sleeping even possible?  
Muriel noticed me being quiet during breakfast and it clearly made him nervous.  
“Is something wrong?” He asked worried.  
I debated should I question him about last night or not.  
“Have you woken up anytime during the night?” I asked.  
He looked at me weirdly and shook his head.  
“Did I do something during the night?”  
I bit my lip.  
He nervously fumbled with his mug.  
“You kissed me”, I finally said and he choked on air, “I mean you only pecked me on the top of my head”.  
He immediately started apologizing.  
“You didn’t do it on purpose”, I said, “and it’s not that I’m against it, quite the opposite”.  
He still seemed extremely sorry.  
“I actually recommend you kissing me”, I said making up my mind, “but I do insist upon asking for permission first”.  
Muriel nodded and continued to apologize profusely, blushing and fiddling at the same time. Finally, he sighed deeply and seemed to prepare himself for something hard.  
“Can I ask for permission to kiss you now?” He asked with his voice quavering.  
I nodded enthusiastically and he blushed even harder but didn’t back down. He slowly lowered his face towards mine.  
When our lips finally met it felt sweet like the honey which we just had in our tea, it felt like the flames in the fireplace and it felt like the raging snowstorm outside.  
It felt majestic.


End file.
